With just 5 days to go, Harris and Trump continue to battle for votes

Meanwhile, Trump is traveling to New Mexico and Virginia in the campaign’s final days. It’s a risky detour from the seven battleground states to spend time in places where Republican presidential candidates haven’t won in decades.

Here’s the latest:

Walz: Trump ‘damn near killed himself getting into a garbage truck’

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday that former President Donald Trump “damn near killed himself” when he got into a garbage truck before an event on Wednesday night.

Trump got into the truck before an event in Wisconsin to draw attention to President Joe Biden saying on Tuesday night “the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”

Biden was responding to a comedian at a Trump rally calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Biden later tried to clarify his statement, arguing he was referring to the comedian’s demonization of Latino voters.

“This dude is nearly 80 years old. He damn near killed himself getting into a garbage truck,” Walz said at an event in Pennsylvania. Trump twice missed the handle of the white garbage truck emblazoned with his name on Wednesday, and also appeared to lose his balance briefly after missing the door handle.

Walz’s comment came as he was trying to make an economic point about tariffs that Trump pledges to implement if elected.

“You would think over 80 years you would understand how a tariff works,” he said. “Smarter people than Donald Trump, which is a good chunk of folks … have gone on the record to say if Donald Trump goes forward with this plan, they will simply have to raise prices and pass them on to you.”

”Donald Trump saying China will pay for those tariffs the same way Mexico paid for the wall,” Walz said. “It’s not going to happen.”

Detroit voter turnout expected to be slightly above 2020 election levels

Detroit has about 524,000 registered voters and it’s anticipated that voter turnout for this election will be somewhere between 51% and 55%, City Clerk Janice Winfrey told reporters Thursday.

Detroit voter turnout in the 2020 general election was 51%.

Security has been heightened and there will be a heavy police presence at Huntington Place convention center in downtown Detroit where ballots will be counted Tuesday night.

Winfrey says her office has been working with local police agencies, Michigan’s attorney general’s office and the Justice Department on what she calls a “comprehensive security plan throughout this week and the days moving forward.”

“This plan will continue through election night to insure the safety of our election workers and the integrity of the election process,” Winfrey said.

Harris criticizes Trump’s ‘offensive’ comments about women

Kamala Harris said Thursday that Donald Trump’s comments on women at his latest rally were “very offensive.”

“He does not prioritize the freedom of women and the intelligence of women to make decisions about their own lives and bodies,” she said.

At a rally Wednesday, Trump embellished upon an earlier pledge to “protect” women by adding: “I’m gonna do it whether the women like it or not.”

Harris says Affordable Care Act is on the line on Election Day

Harris said Thursday that the health care protections under the Affordable Care Act are on the line on Election Day.

She was responding to a comment by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who told Trump supporters that there would be “massive reform” to the law if Trump wins the presidential election.

Harris told reporters on Thursday morning in Wisconsin that it “has been a part of Donald Trump’s agenda for a very long time. He has made dozens of attempts to get rid of the ACA and now we have further validation of that agenda from his supporter, the speaker of the House.”

Trump was unsuccessful in repealing the health care law during his first four years in office, despite multiple Republican attempts. The most dramatic came in 2017 when the late Sen. John McCain, with a simple thumbs down, voted against repealing the law.

Hillary Clinton to campaign for Harris in Tampa

Hillary Clinton, the former first lady who ran as the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016, will campaign in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday to support the Harris-Walz campaign.

Clinton, who also served as the secretary of state during the Obama administration, will be attending two get-out-the-vote events to encourage voters to cast their ballots early.

Clinton endorsed Harris after her campaign launched in July, and the former first lady headlined fundraisers and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in support of the vice president.

Gwen Walz tells Trump and his running mate to mind their own business

Gwen Walz, U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath and Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson campaigned for Harris in Georgia, a key battleground state.

“This election is truly about life or death,” said McBath at a cafe north of Atlanta. “Women, particularly Black women and women of color in our state, are not getting access to the quality health care that they need and deserve.”

Walz, the wife of Harris running mate Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, said now is not the time for supporters to rest.

“This election is the ultimate group project,” said Walz, a teacher by profession. “And guess what? It’s pass/fail.”

At a rally Wednesday, Trump embellished upon an earlier pledge to “protect” women by adding: “I’m gonna do it whether the women like it or not.”

Walz slammed Trump for that comment.

She has a message for the other side, she said, and the crowd chanted it in unison:

“Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance, please mind your own business!”

Hungary’s nationalist leader wishes Trump luck on Election Day

Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán says he had a phone call with Trump early Thursday in which he wished him luck on Election Day.

Trump regularly praises Orbán during his speeches, reminding supporters that the autocratic leader who has cozied up with Russia and China sees the former president as a respected and feared leader in the world.

Orbán had previously thrown his support for Trump and visited him in his Mar-a-Lago estate in July.

“Just got off the phone with President @realDonaldTrump . I wished him the best of luck for next Tuesday. Only five days to go. Fingers crossed,” Orbán posted on X.

Judge puts challenge of Elon Musk’s $1M-a-day voter sweepstakes on hold

A judge in Philadelphia has put a state challenge of Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes on hold while lawyers for the billionaire and his political action committee try to move the lawsuit to federal court.

The giveaways aim to boost Trump’s presidential campaign through Election Day. Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner calls the America PAC sweepstakes an illegal lottery under Pennsylvania law.

Experts on election law question whether it violates federal law against vote-buying. Judge Angelo Foglietta heard motions from both sides on Thursday in a City Hall courtroom.

Rapper Cardi B to speak at Harris rally in Wisconsin

Rapper Cardi B will speak at Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally in Milwaukee on Friday, the latest in a long line of celebrities who have stumped for the Democratic nominee in the closing days of the 2024 campaign.

The Harris campaign announced the addition on Thursday. The event will also feature performances by GloRilla, Flo Milli, MC Lyte, The Isley Brothers, DJ GEMINI GILLY.

This is not the first time Cardi B has jumped into the political fray. The rapper was close to Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2020, including lauding his first run in 2016 and appearing in a video meant to appeal to young voters. She has also been an outspoken critic of Trump and supported President Joe Biden in 2020.

“I’m tired of getting upset every single time I see this man talk,” she said of Trump before Election Day in 2020.

Turning Point USA founder suggests Harris ad undermines the American family

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk doesn’t like a campaign ad for Harris that says a woman doesn’t need to consult her husband when choosing who to vote for.

The ad shows a woman in a voting booth, casting a ballot for Harris. Then, as she leaves, her husband asks her if she made “the right choice” — strongly suggesting that the ‘right choice’ is Trump.

“Sure did honey,” she responds.

Kirk, speaking on conservative Megyn Kelly’s podcast, labeled the ad “the embodiment of the downfall of the American family.”

The ad was by Vote Common Good, an outside organization that aims to target progressive, religious voters.

Harris debuts a new campaign ad in Spanish

Harris has a new campaign ad in Spanish that will air in battleground states that seizes on comments made about Puerto Ricans during a Trump rally.

The ad, in Spanish, questions why a comic at the rally in New York would call the U.S. territory a “floating island of garbage.”

The ad’s announcer says: “This Nov. 5 Trump will understand that some people’s trash is others’ treasure.”

Since the rally, Latino celebrities and leaders have come out in support of the Democratic nominee.

The ad is part of a larger $370 million buy, and will air on Univision and Telemundo during high viewership telenovelas, and on digital platforms including El Nuevo Día, YouTube and Snapchat.

Spending shatters record in Senate race

Billions of dollars in ads are raining down on voters across the Rust Belt, Rocky Mountains and American Southwest as the two major political parties struggle for control of the U.S. Senate.

Republicans need to pick up two seats to capture a surefire majority, and one of those — West Virginia — is all but in the bag for the GOP.

Republican strategists say they’re targeting seven other states where Democrats are defending seats: Arizona, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Democrats, conversely, say they are forcing competitive contests in two red states, Texas and Nebraska.

Data from political ad tracking firm AdImpact projects that more than $2.5 billion will be spent on advertising in Senate races in this two-year campaign cycle, slightly more than the 2022 total.

Nicky Jam withdraws Trump endorsement over “garbage” comments

Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Nicky Jam has withdrawn his endorsement of Trump.

Tony Hinchcliffe — a comic who called Puerto Rico “garbage” before a packed Trump rally in New York — appears to be the catalyst.

In a video statement posted to his Instagram, Jam says he thought Trump would be good for the economy. But after Hinchcliffe’s comments, he says can no longer support the former president.

Other Puerto Rican superstars have backed Harris, including Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin.

Trump campaigns in states the GOP hasn’t won in decades

Trump is traveling to New Mexico and Virginia in the campaign’s final days — choosing to stump for votes in states that Republicans haven’t won in decades.

The former president will campaign in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday during a swing that will also take him to the battleground states of Arizona and Nevada.

He’ll be in Salem, Virginia, on Saturday. The Trump team is projecting optimism and thinks he can be competitive against Harris in New Mexico and Virginia.

Judge to hear arguments on Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day giveaway to help Trump

A Philadelphia judge is set to hold a hearing in the city prosecutor’s bid to shut down Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day sweepstakes in battleground states.

The giveaways come from Musk’s political organization, which aims to boost Donald Trump’s presidential campaign through Election Day.

Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner hopes to stop the America PAC sweepstakes. Judge Angelo Foglietta will hear motions Thursday on the issue in a City Hall courtroom. Matthew Haverstick is one of several lawyers representing the defendants.

Lawyers for Musk filed a motion late Wednesday seeking to move the case to federal court. However, a spokesperson for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Thursday the initial hearing at City Hall was still scheduled.

Who’s texting me? Oh, not again …

Across the U.S., people’s phones are pinging with text messages from Donald Trump, Kamala Harris and their allies.

Both sides are working the texting pipeline aggressively in the presidential campaign’s last days. It’s a cheap and easy way to reach millions of potential donors and voters.

It’s also an aggravation for many. At recent Harris and Trump rallies, some of the attendees said enough already. But the texting torrent is not bound to let up before Election Day next week, if it even does then.

Anxiety, frustration characterize voter sentiment ahead of Election Day

A new poll from The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that about 7 in 10 Americans report feeling anxious or frustrated about the 2024 presidential campaign, and a similar share say they’re interested.

Only about one-third say they feel excited.

About 7 in 10 Americans say “anxious” describes how they are feeling ahead of Tuesday. For partisans, anxiety is dialed a little higher than before.

About 8 in 10 Democrats say “anxious” describes how they are feeling now, up slightly from the last election. About two-thirds of Republicans are anxious, a moderate uptick from 2020.